Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour

I stay there in a daze, just stood with my fingers resting on my electric blue belt loops, after Rou had walked out, and when I hear the music start I suddenly jolt from my trance and run back in to the room. Rou's looking for me, and winks, smiling, when he catches my eye. I ram my way to the front, so I'm pressed against the barrier again, and Rou smiles.

"What's your favourite?" He mouths, leaning forward a little during a pause in 'We Can Breathe In Space'.

I smile back, "Johnny Sniper," he nods and turns to Chris, Rory and Rob, saying something none of the crowd can hear, then bending over double with the force of his scream when the vocals kick back in. I scream along, and Rou looks a little surprised that I can scream along with him.

When the songs finished Rou winks at me again, and speaks into the mic with a slightly hoarse voice, "Okay, this song is for Mia, one of our biggest fans," He stops and winks again, making me blush furiously. I get jostled about and glared at, but keep my eyes fixed on the stage, "Oh and will people please be careful in the 'pits? This is about having fun, but we don't want anybody to get hurt," I get more glares, at me and my bandaged shoulder, and Rou scowls a little.

He goes over to his little table of electronic controls and counts Rory, Chris and Rob in, so the chords of Johnny Sniper ring through the club and I grin, "This is Johnny Sniper,"

The smile finds it way onto my lips, just like it does whenever this song comes on, only this time it's a thousand times brighter and wider, because I'm hearing it live, and because Enter Shikari are playing this song for me.

I find myself in the pits again, not caring that my shoulder's aching a little more than bearable, my head is started to spin from dehydration and all the smoke. But I don’t care. The hair's shaken into my eyes and I can barely see, but I jump about, more yelling than singing along with Rou, and when the song finishes I cheer the loudest and ram my way back to the barrier.

"So," Rou says in a rough voice, one that suits him a little too much, “We've going to play just two more songs – Sorry You're Not A Winner then OK Time For Plan B,” He glances at me and smiles, winking for a split second, "So we want to see everyone in the pits moshing their hearts out, and do the claps in Sorry You're Not motherfuckers,"

I smile a little wider and push myself away from the barriers again, keeping a little lower than before as I fight my way into the middle of the circle pit. Some of the stuck up guys sneer at me because I’m the only girl in there but I don’t mind, I’ve always been the only girl in the mosh pits. I almost get elbowed the in face and put my arms to shield myself a little, clapping the loudest at the ‘Clap Clap Clap’ bit then pushing myself back in the middle of the pit.

At the end of 'Sorry You're Not' I'm more out of breath than I think I've ever been and there's just a few seconds before OK Time For Plan B fills the tiny club. I mosh harder than I've ever have, I hardcore harder than I ever have, briefly stopping to yell, “Ok! Time for plan B!” at the top of my voice along with the rest.

When the last few synthesised notes of OK Time For Plan B ring through my small local club my chest is heaving frantically as I push myself back against the barrier. Rou smiles and shakes his sweat soaked hair. There're people hanging around, to talk to the band, so Rou shakes his head softly when I try to talk. Him, Chris, Rory and Rob all come from their side of the barrier and there’s another cheer as people flood round them, congratulating them on the good show, shoving forward paper and God knows what else for autographs, cameras' for a treasured picture with the trancecore heroes.

I'm shoved to the back of the crowd, and being a little shorter than average I stand on my tiptoes to see over everyone's heads. There's guys clapping the band on the shoulder, old friends, big fans, congratulating them on the show, and there's girls, a lot of them, pushing their way forward to talk to Rou or Chris, then muttering a few words to Rob and Rory – who glance tiredly at each other, they're used to this.

When the crowd starts dispersing I join the back of it, smiling a little, and when I reach Rou I hold out the paper napkin I've taken from one of the tables and grin, "You guys were great! Can I have an autograph Rou – you're so hot!" I giggle manically and Rou raises his eyebrows, "Best groupie impression," I say, laughing my normal laugh again.

Rou leans right forward, pretending to get a bit of fluff or glass out my hair, and I feel him murmur in my ear, "You can have more than an autograph," I blush cherry red and Rou pulls away, acting if nothing's happened, even flicking his fingers to get the 'fluff from my hair' off his fingers.

"Something in your hair... Funny thing is," He says, and I try to fight the blush off my cheeks, "a girl actually said that same thing to me a few minutes ago!"

I laugh, but my mind's wandering, I think Rou's only messing, he's only being flirty, just beingfriendly. Nothing's going to happen.

Even as Rou's hands skitter across my waist and up my chest 'accidentally' I tell myself nothing's going to happen – because why would Roughton Reynolds of Enter Shikari – musical genius, why would he like me? Weird short Mia Shuttleworth – about as useful as a condom machine in the Vatican.

"Yo, Rou, Mia, you guys coming down the pub? We're gonna go celebrate," I hear Chris say from over my shoulder as Rou smiles at me, his fingertips brushing down my cheeks.

"You up for a piss up Mia?" Rou says softly, and even if I wanted to disagree I couldn't – his eyes capturing and holding mine so strongly it feels as if he's never going to let me go, his hands gently brushing across my face and shoulders as if I'm the most precious thing.

"Y-Yeah, sure," I manage to choke out, Rou's eyes still holding mine so I must look like a right freak. Rou takes my hand, his fingers just loosely winding round my palm and swinging our hands between us. I stumble when my feet start moving, still in shock, though there's a smile plastered on my face.

A few minutes later I'm sure my mind is playing tricks on me, I'm sure I'm dreaming, and any second now I'll wake up alone it my room. But I don’t.

Rou had moves his arm to wind round my waist as we stumbled out the club. He pulls my side against his as we trip down the street. Chris, Rory and Rob lead the way, through the streets of St Albans I knew so well, until we stop outside The Hound, the pub a few minutes away.

Rou pulled me up the steps, keeping my body close to his, smiling down at me, and opened the frosted glass doors for me. The Hound's a typical pub, all wood and dodgy wallpaper, stained seats and a bar full of old regulars. We find an empty booth by a window, and everyone but Chris piles in. I find myself next to Rou, his arm still round me, making me move even closer.

"4 beers and?" Chris asks, "What do you want Mia?"

"Uh coke and vodka?" I ask shyly, and Chris nods, moving off to order our drinks.

Rou pulls me closer and his hands drift to my jeans pockets, "How about that?" his voice is barely audible against my ear as his fingertips slip into my pockets, "autograph hey Mia?"

He's just being friendly.

He uses his grip to pull me onto his lap, and I lean against his chest. Chris comes back and sets five drinks on the table. As I lean forward to grab my glass Rou moves his hands from my jeans for a second, before gently slipping them under my shirt to rest on my stomach. My heart slams against my chest horribly.

He's just being friendly.

A few seconds later, after we've muttered a thanks to Chris for the drinks, my phone's threw onto the table by a smirking Rou.

"Where did you get that?" I ask incredulously.

Rou smiles, replacing his other hand on my stomach, "Out your pocket. I put my number in."

Before I can retrieve it Chris leans forward and snatches it off me. My phone goes round the members of Enter Shikari, each putting in their mobile number, Rory having to get his own phone out to remember his own number. I slide my phone back in my pocket when Rob hands it back to me with a smile.

"So Mia," He says, taking a sip of his drink, "Like the gig?"

I almost choke on my own drink, "Hell yes! You guys are like my favourite fucking band!" Rou chuckles under his breath, so only I can hear and discreetly pulls me closer, "You will not believe how much I really want to spazz because I'm sat here!"

They all laugh, Rory almost choking on his drink, and I realise he's the more clumsy and forgetful of the group.

I also realise that, as much as I'd like to think, I don't know these four men. I know them as Rou, Rory, Chris and Rob of Enter Shikari. I don't know them as people. I don't know Roughton Reynolds, Chris Batten, Rory Clewlow, and Rob Rolfe.

And I really, really want to.

-x-

It's at least 2 hours later, when our table is full of empty glasses, and I can't quite string a sentence together, that I stumble past Rou, whose arms and hands linger on me for a second, and head towards the bathroom.

When I'm in there, the bad decor clinging to the walls and the smell of public toilets wafting through the air, I lean against the counter, hands on the edge of the sink and stare at my reflection.

"This isn't happening," I take a deep breath and scrutinise my reflection, "I'm not at a pub with Enter Shikari, getting pissed,"

I smile, and brush the hair from my eyes, run a fingertip across my lips, smoothing out the little gloss left, tug the bottom of my shirt a little and turn away from the mirror.

As I pull open the door back into the pub, I see Rou stood, half facing the doorway I'm emerging from, and I smile. He notices me and turns towards me fully, mimicking my smile.

"Hey," He says, standing a little closer than he should, so I can smell the rank alcohol on his breath. Oddly though, it doesn't repulse me.

"Rou?" I question, not objecting when his arms wind round my waist and into my back pockets, pulling me closer.

Well I'm not going to object to standing this close to Rou, our lips barely apart.

"What're you doing back here?" I say softly, captivated by his shining eyes, and his lips, so close to mine.

"Came to see if you're okay..." He murmurs softly, his lips barely forming the words. Suddenly Rou moves forward, his lips knocking against mine, just teasing them apart before he pulls back and smiles.

"I'm okay..." I take a deep breath, my lips trembling, "I'm okay."

"Good." Rou says, running his left hand through my hair, his fingers teasing my hair into strands, "Does that mean I can kiss you again then?"

Instead of answering, I just move my lips forward so they connect with Rou's and he kisses back, a little roughly, his hand on the back of my neck. Our kiss rapidly turns into a make out session, thanks to the alcohol, and Rou is softly pushing me against the corridor wall, his hands tugging at my hair.

I feel him moan against me, and the vibrations from it run down my throat, as his hands fumble a little with my shirt, slipping their fingers underneath the fabric and caressing the taut skin on my stomach, digging in against my hipbones a little.

His lips move from mine and my head rolls back against the wall as they find the angle between my neck and shoulder, biting down softly on the skin, so I clutch his shoulders tighter. His lips and tongue flick across my skin, and his hands stay on my stomach, moving so slowly I can barely notice them, moving across my lower abdomen, and slipping under my band on my jeans, and pulling at the elastic of my underwear, so it snaps back against my skin.

It's as if there's been a block in the nerves to my brain, so I don’t quite register what Rou's doing, but the elastic against my skin unblocks the pathways, and I tense. Rou's hands slip under the elastic and my hands find his chest, pushing him away, so he stumbles a little and looks at me, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What're you doing?" I ask, looking him up and down at pulling at the band of my jeans, tugging them up a little.

"I could ask you the same!" Rou says, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

"I'm not a whore Rou," I say, running my hand through my hair in almost exasperation.

"I never said you we-" Rou says, looking confused, up and down, between the carpet and me.

"No, I mean, I've just met you Rou, you expect me to, to sleep with you, because you're Rou from Enter Shikari. I want to know you Rou. I want to know Roughton Reynolds." I cut him off, pacing backwards and forwards a few feet.

"Mia, I-"

"Rou, I loved you, I loved the Rou Reynolds before I met you, and now, you expect it to be different? You expect me to make out with you, and more?"

"Mia..."

"I'm just gonna go Rou. I want to be friends with you, I really do. I just..." I heave a sigh and give up, pulling on the door leading back into the pub, and it closes behind me, leaving Rou just stood there.

And all the time I don’t notice the blond haired boy, with the bright red shirt, watching from the shadowy corner, cocky smirk on his lips.